Indoor Air Quality | Heating and Air Conditioning
Indoor Air Quality | Heating and Air Conditioning
If you are worried about the indoor air quality of your home, routinehouse cleaning, and maintaining the heatingand air conditioning system will reduce indoor air pollution. Allergies andasthma are worsened by impurities in the indoor air, resulting in symptoms. Thefollowing tips for cleaner air will assist you in improving the indoor airquality in your home.
Heating and Air Conditioning
Routine maintenance and timely filterchanges on the heating and airconditioning system is a large part of quality indoor air. Infrequentlychanged filters result in a dirty system, dirty ducts and an increase in dustand other airborne pollutants circulated throughout the home. Furthermore,routine maintenance and filter changes result in extending system lifespan, andreduce the frequency of heating and ACrepair in Katy.
It is recommended to change or clean air filters every month, or asrecommended by the manufacturer. If you have pets, or your home is subjected toextremely dusty conditions you should change or clean filters more often. Somefilters can be cleaned, while others are disposable and require changing.
The ductwork can be a source of dirtyair when seals fail, and may result in the loss of conditioned air. When thisoccurs, the costs of lost air can be 20% of the total cost for heating and air conditioning. Thisissue not only makes your HVACsystem work harder, it can allow pollutants to enter the indoor air.
Excessive indoor humidity can lead to mold,odors, and health problems caused by poor indoor air quality. To improve moisturerelated problems require maintaining proper moisture levels. An expert HVAC professional can help you withventilation, and moisture issues.
Cleaning
A clean home should provide improved airquality, and not worsen it. Use all natural cleaners to prevent adding to an indoor air quality problem. Purchase ormake your own all-natural cleaning supplies. In addition, household plants canassist in providing oxygen to the home, and in filtering indoor air.
Specific plants can provide specificbenefits including:
Aloe Vera – Helps remove formaldehydeand benzene from the air, which can be a byproduct of chemical-based cleaners,paints, and building products.
Spider plant – This plant helps remove benzene,formaldehyde, carbon monoxide, and xylene, a solvent used in the leather, and buildingindustries.
Gerbera daisy – Provides a floweringplant that offers both beauty to your home, and is effective at removingtrichloroethylene, a chemical used in dry cleaning. It also filters benzene fromthe home environment.
Snake plant (mother-in-laws tongue) -filters out formaldehyde, which is common in cleaning products, toilet paper,personal care products and others. The plant also absorbs carbon dioxide andreleases oxygen at night, which is the opposite of most plants.
Chrysanthemum – There are two types ofthis flower, the floral mum (good for indoors) and the garden variety (for useoutdoors). The plant filters out benzene, which is common in glue, paint,plastics, and detergent. This plant should be located near a window with directsunlight.
Ficus – A ficus can help filter outpollutants in carpeting and furniture such as formaldehyde, benzene, andtrichloroethylene.
Bamboo palm – This small palm is firstin the list of plants for filtering out both benzene, trichloroethylene, and formaldehyde.
Peace lily – This plant tops the listfor removing the common VOCs of formaldehyde, benzene, and trichloroethylene,and combating toluene and xylene.
Potential Signs Your Indoor Air May Be Making You Sick
Polluted indoor air can cause symptomsof allergy, such as a runny nose, sneezing, coughing, throat sore throat, itchy,watery eyes, fever, and shortness of breath. Additional symptoms that may beexperienced include digestive problems, fatigue, headaches, and dizziness.Cypress Heating and Air Conditioning professionals can improve your indoor air.Contact us today to schedule heating andair conditioning service.
Reduce the Sources of Pollution
Avoid spraying pesticides, chemicalcleaners, air fresheners, and other potential pollutants in your home. Look forproducts with low, or preferably zero VOC labels. You can also use naturalproducts already in your home. For example, use vinegar for cleaning, and makeyour own air freshener by using a few drops of essential oil with water in anatomizer.
Increase Ventilation
When installing a new heating and air conditioning system,ensuring the purchase of a unit with air-to-air heat exchangers, will bring freshoutdoor air into the home without affecting energy efficiency.
When conditions allow, open windows, oruse a window fan to bring fresh air in. During the winter, use kitchen andbathroom exhaust fans occasionally to circulate air.
If you are using a low grade of filter,such as the fiberglass blues, talk to your HVACtechnician or the systems manufacturer about the use of a higher grade offilter that will not damage your system. Most systems will tolerate pleatedfilters, which do a decent job of filtering the air. Your Cypress technician isthe best source for identifying safe filtration for your home’s heating and air conditioning system.
Air Cleaners
Air cleaners assist in removing pollutants from thehome’s air. A whole house system is the most effective, as it treats the entirehome and not a single room. A Cypress Heating and Air Conditioning professionalcan assist you in the selection of a system that will be effective for yourhome. Call today to schedule heating andair conditioning service.
Cypress Heating and Air Conditioning’scertified HVAC professionals havethe expertise to provide your home with professional grade heating and air conditioningservices. Contact us to receive the cleanest indoor air quality possible. We serve Katy, Plano and thesurrounding areas, and are a member of the BBB with an A+ rating.
